Indice dei contenuti per 2022-01-25 in Cape Times

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za CIVIC society’s call for the social relief of distress (SRD) R350 grant to be turned into a basic income grant (BIG) along the Food Poverty Line of R624 is a Catch-22 for South Africa’s economy, knocked by two years of Covid-19 state of emergency restrictions, which struggles to grow, or create jobs. In a meeting last week with Presi- dent Cyril Ramaphosa and some members of Cabinet, the Institute for Economic Justice, Black Sash, Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute, Amandla.mobi and #PayTheGrants proposed extending and improving the R350 SRD and creation of policy pathways for implementing a BIG. They hold the SRD's existence as reliant upon regulatory powers provided under the State of Disaster, which faces the growing possibility of cancellation. “Therefore, if the SRD lifeline…

Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas and her American pop star husband Nick Jonas hope to have “at least two children”. The 39-year-old actress recently announced the arrival of their first child, via a surrogate, and the loved-up couple intend to have even more kids in the coming years, reports femalefirst.co.uk. An insider told Us Weekly that friends of the celebrity duo are “excited” for the new parents, and the married couple are keen to have even more children in the future. The actress, who married the pop star in 2018, recently took to Instagram to announce the birth of their new baby. Priyanka said on the photo-sharing platform: “We are overjoyed to confirm that we have welcomed a baby via surrogate. We respectfully ask for privacy during this special time as…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za A FULL Bench (three judges) has once again made it clear that Correctional Service’s policy that prisoners studying while in jail may not use their personal laptops – minus a modem – in their cells constituted unfair discrimination. The groundbreaking judgment for the rights of prisoners studying was sparked by three of the so-called Boeremag members, Dr Lets Pretorius and two of his sons, Drs Johan and Wilhelm Pretorius. A judge earlier overturned the department’s policy that inmates may not use their laptops in their cells. According to the department, there were study halls in prison, where inmates could make use of their laptops. Unhappy with the earlier ruling allowing inmates the use of their laptops in their cells, the department appealed the judgment before three judges…

Staff writer WITH the growing possibility of the cancellation of the State of Disaster under which regulatory powers the R350 Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant exists, civil society has called for the grant to be extended via adoption in the Social Assistance legal framework until February next year. The civil society collective of the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ), Black Sash, Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute (SPII), Amandla.mobi and #PayTheGrants met with President Cyril Ramphosa, Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu and Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana last week about the need for permanent income support for the growing millions of poor and unemployed. “The meeting marked a significant milestone in closing the gap between civil society and the state and we were very pleased with the President’s…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za THE JUSTICE system has come under fire after the alleged rape case of an elderly Khayelitsha woman was struck off the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court roll after the victim died. Subsequently, the former accused, Khayalethu Mkhumathela, 50, a member of the SANDF will no longer go on trial for the alleged crime. Activist, Zona Morton, who had been monitoring and assisting the victim and family, criticised the Justice Department and attributed the delay in the case due to the DNA backlog that exists countrywide. “The perpetrator was injured by community members who found him in the act. A case was opened and a rape kit done. “The investigating officer found DNA on the scene and this was submitted along with the rape kit … Due to the rape…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za KRAAIFONTEIN community leaders are hoping that schools in the area will be among those that receive extra classrooms this year as many pupils are still waiting to be placed. Western Cape Education Department (WCED) spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said yesterday that she was still waiting on updated figures of both place and unplaced pupils. However, as of last week there were 451 Grade 1 and 2 450 Grade 8 children that still had to be placed for the 2022 academic year. Schools in coastal provinces reopened on Wednesday. A member of the Kraaifontein Development Forum, Siphiwo Saki, said he was lucky that his child found a space at Bloekombos High School on Friday. “My child is among those who applied early last year but it seems that…

THE Bible reminds us earthlings that there are two afterlife roads – individuals have to choose their destinations. Right through our murky history our country had countless forks in the road. The 1994 fork at the dawn of our democracy came with a painful birth, bringing forth a monster, a Frankenstein, or a beautiful South Africa. Either one of two South Africas was going to emerge, the one Tony Leon’s, the other Nelson Mandela’s. Leon was the leader of the Democratic Party, that morphed into the DA. Already their “Fight Back” election posters, later interpreted as “Fight B(l)ack!”, screamed out what they envisaged. Madiba’s South Africa was one of peace, unity, friendship, forgiveness and reconciliation. His hand for a government of national unity was slapped away by the forces of…

A prominent Cuban dissident was arrested with three other women in the capital Havana, her husband said. Berta Soler, who leads the Ladies in White protest movement, was held ahead of a demonstration in support of political prisoners, former dissident Angel Moya confirmed. Long considered the only opposition group the Cuban government allows to march regularly, the Ladies in White movement is made up of the relatives of jailed dissidents, campaigning for their release. Along with Soler, Ladies in White members Lourdes Esquivel and Gladys Capote, and Barbara Ferrat, were arrested by plainclothes police, Moya said. Ferrat’s son, Jonathan Torres, 17, was earlier arrested for participating in historic July 11 protests that flared in 50 Cuban cities. A government crackdown against the anti-government revolt left one dead, dozens injured and…

Former Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged yesterday that he had been at a 1980 meeting over a sexual abuse case when archbishop of Munich, saying he mistakenly told German investigators he was not there. A report released last week on abuse in the archdiocese from 1945 to 2019 said then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger failed to take action against clerics in four cases of alleged abuse when he was its archbishop from 1977 to 1982. At Thursday’s news conference in Munich, lawyers who investigated the abuse contested an assertion by Benedict in an 82-page statement that he did not recall attending a meeting in 1980 to discuss the case of an abuser priest. They said this contradicted documents in their possession. Yesterday, the former pope’s personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Ganswein, said Benedict…

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan appointed its first female Supreme Court judge yesterday, after a nomination process that proved unusually contentious. Justice Ayesha Malik, 55, had been selected by a commission that decides on the promotion of judges. As is typical for Supreme Court judges, she was sworn in on live TV, with her oath administered by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmad. “I congratulate Justice Ayesha Malik for becoming the first female judge of the Supreme Court,” Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a tweet. Some lawyers’ groups criticised the choice, arguing that she was picked despite not being among the top three most senior judges.…

The operator of Japan’s disaster-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has confirmed that four tons of coolant had leaked from two storage tanks, local media reported yesterday. The coolant was used to create an ice wall refraining groundwater from seeping into reactor buildings, according to the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. The company’s spokesperson Tsuyoshi Shiraishi said about four tons of the calcium chloride solution used to maintain the ice wall had leaked. “We’re now confirming the reason,” he said on Sunday, according to the Japan Times.…

Wynona Louw wynona.louw@inl.co.za With Stormers head coach John Dobson seeing a potential spot at inside-centre for Damian Willemse, could we finally see the talented back settle in one position? His positional drifting has become as much a part of his identity as his unmatched ability to humiliate defences and make ridiculous displays of skill look easy. But is Willemse’s positional musical chairs situation nearing its end with the Stormers? At the weekend, the Stormers came from behind to pull off a 30-26 United Rugby Championship victory over the Bulls at Loftus. Manie Libbok started at flyhalf, while Willemse donned the fullback jumper. Warrick Gelant, who not too long ago returned from the lengthy injury he suffered after returning to the Cape, was on the bench. He made a huge impact,…

Dieketseng Maleke dieketseng.maleke@inl.co.za PRECIOUS metal producer Sibanye- Stillwater yesterday announced that it had terminated a R15 billion deal to acquire two mines in Brazil due to a geotechnical event, which would have a “material (effect) and (be) adverse to the business” in a blow to its battery material ambitions. Sibanye had planned to buy Santa Rita, one of the top nickel mines, and Serrote copper mine, as well as a 5 percent net smelter royalty over potential future underground production at Santa Rita. The dissolving of the contract comes just over two months since Sibanye signed definitive agreements with Appian Capital Advisory in October. It said it was advised by Appian Capital Advisory that subsequent to the signing of the Atlantic Nickel SPA and the MVV SPA, a…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za VARIOUS professional medical and scientific institutions, including the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and the South African Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (SASOG) have called for the withdrawal of a recent statement by the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE), saying they may, unknowingly or otherwise, fuel anti-vaccination sentiment. In the statement issued last Sunday, entitled “Warning Against Imposing Mandatory Covid-19 Vaccination on Employees and Students”, the CGE cited an article titled “Association Between Menstrual Cycle Length and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) Vaccination” published in the American Obstetrics & Gynaecology medical journal, released on January 5. The CGE’s statement released in relation to vaccine mandates read that the research “has found that vaccines may cause a small change to the menstrual cycle length, but that this change…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za WHILE Premier Alan Winde remains tight-lipped about his reasons for suspending Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz, the move could be an attempt to remove him from his cabinet to make way for recently sworn-in MPL Dan Plato’s “soft landing”, according to opposition parties. Fritz has since also stepped down as the DA’s Western Cape leader. While Fritz could not be reached for comment yesterday, Winde would not be drawn into reports that he suspended Fritz over sexual misconduct allegations, saying no further information would be divulged “until an independent investigator has determined the full extent of the allegations and their veracity”. According to reports, Fritz allegedly sexually harassed young women in the Expanded Public Works Programme. “I know there have been many questions raised around the nature…

Marsha Dean marsha.Dean@inl.co.za THE City’s Fire and Rescue Service had its hands full at the weekend, responding to 406 incidents, of which more than half were fires. The City said its services responded to 235 vegetation fires, including the blaze on Ou Kaapse Weg, 48 residential fires – 26 in informal settlements – 43 car accidents and 17 pedestrian accidents as well as 15 trauma incidents between Friday and Sunday. “Cape Town has been experiencing some incredibly hot days in recent weeks. While vegetation fires are more commonplace during the warmer months, the weather conditions of late provide an additional challenge. I am, however, very proud of how quickly staff were able to suppress the fire on Ou Kaapse Weg this weekend, working alongside other firefighting agencies,” said safety and…

AS UNIVERSITIES around the country prepare for the start of the 2022 academic year, all the role players in the higher education sector need to work extremely hard to prevent the annual violent student protests. Many of our higher education institutions have to contend with student protests over, among other things, National Student Financial Aid Scheme allocations, historic student debt, academic exclusion and the poor condition of residences. Student protests often turn violent, leading to university property being destroyed, costing taxpayers millions of rand in repairs. The instability that has characterised higher education needs to be brought to an abrupt end to ensure a smooth start to the academic year. This can be achieved through collaborative efforts that involve university management, student leaders of various institutions and the Ministry of…

Brussels: Nato said yesterday it was sending jets and ships to bolster its eastern European defences, as the US and EU looked to co-ordinate a tough response to Russia if it invades Ukraine. Tensions have soared over Russia’s deployment of some 100 000 troops and heavy armour at its neighbour’s borders, despite the Kremlin’s insistence it is not planning a new incursion. The US and Britain ordered diplomats’ families to leave Ukraine – but both Kyiv and the EU said the moves appeared premature amid divided views over how imminent any attack could be. Top US diplomat Antony Blinken was to dial in to a meeting of EU counterparts in Brussels to brief them on his talks on Friday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, where the two sides failed…

PARIS: Thierry Mugler, the French fashion icon whose groundbreaking designs were worn by celebrities including Kim Kardashian West and Lady Gaga and featured in films such as Indecent Proposal, died Sunday at age 73. His death was announced in French and English on his official Instagram account. The cause of his death was not given. In a statement, the House of Mugler brand described him as a “visionary whose imagination as a couturier, perfumer and image-maker empowered people around the world to be bolder and dream bigger everyday”.…

The head of the World Health Organization said yesterday that the planet can end the Covid-19 emergency this year, although the virus last week killed someone every 12 seconds. “We can end Covid-19 as a global health emergency and we can do it this year,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the UN health agency’s executive board. To do so, countries need to work harder to ensure equitable access to vaccines and treatment, track the virus and its emerging variants, and keep restrictions in place, he warned. The WHO has for months demanded that countries do more to accelerate the distribution of vaccines in poorer nations, calling on all countries to vaccinate at least 70 percent of their populations by the middle of this year. Half of the WHO’s 194 member…

GUATAVITA (Colombia): An upside-down house in Colombia’s Guatavita is capturing the imagination of visitors looking for fun following coronavirus restrictions. Inside the house, which was designed by its Austrian owner Fritz Schall, who lives in Colombia, tourists walk on ceilings where floors would normally be, while furniture is positioned beneath them. “Everyone looked at me like I was mad, they didn’t believe what I was saying,” Schall said. “I said ‘I’m going to make an upside-down house,’ and they told me, ‘Ok sir, sure, go for it.’” “The pandemic slowed us down, but it’s done now and we inaugurated it weeks ago,” Schall said.…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za GLOBAL oil prices remained elevated at seven-year highs, driven by rising geopolitical tensions, which stoked fears of supply disruptions and saw investors looking for safe havens. The Brent crude price rose above the $88 a barrel mark early yesterday, briefly dipping below $87 (R1 313) in the afternoon, as the world’s biggest oil producers were seemingly on the verge of going to war. High oil prices could spell disaster for South African consumers as the price of petrol could rise back above the R20-mark a litre. Russia’s looming invasion of Ukraine took another step yesterday as the US ordered the departure of family members of staff at its Ukraine embassy, and the voluntary departure of employees. The US is reportedly considering deploying several thousand troops to…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za GUPTA-owned Annex Distribution has lost its challenge against a North Gauteng High Court judgment forcing it to pay R88 million of a R123m loan it received from the Bank of Baroda. The lengthy legal battle between the sister company of the controversial family’s Sahara Computers started when it borrowed over R100m from India’s international bank. Annex Distribution’s failure to pay led to the bank launching a bid to liquidate the company, which was granted in May 2020. North Gauteng High Court Judge Mandla Mbongwe said that since May 2020 both parties had tried unsuccessfully to resolve the matter until they agreed that another Gupta company Confident Concepts be substituted as the Bank of Baroda’s debtor, and the deal was struck in July 2020. Sahara Computers and…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za PREMIER Alan Winde and Local Government MEC Anton Bredell are set to challenge what they have labelled as ‘irrational’ findings made against them by the Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane before the end of this month. In a report released on October 22 last year, Mkhwebane found Winde and Bredell were in breach of the executive ethics code. This follows a complaint lodged by GOOD party Secretary-General Brett Herron on Winde and Bredell’s conduct in their handling of issues at the Oudsthoorn municipality. Mkhwebane said Bredell had allegedly made comments that suggested to DA Oudtshoorn councillors they should request him to place the municipality under provincial government administration, so the councillors could focus on political work in the run-up to the local government elections last year. She…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za HOUT BAY High School top matriculant Lezhan Bailey has set her sights on a career in the medical field so she can help others like herself to triumph over disabilities. Bailey, who uses a wheelchair, was diagnosed with lupus in 2017 and neuromyelitis optica in 2020, which paralysed her legs – a disability which she said would not stop her dreams. The 19-year-old who was among the top achievers in her class with a distinction in maths literacy, said the days leading up to her final exams were the hardest but she had persevered. “Because of my autoimmune conditions, I am literally always tired, so studying was a bit of a challenge. I also often found myself almost falling asleep during exams. “Studying at home was also…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za SUPPORTERS of a 26-year-old woman who was allegedly raped by an on duty police officer stationed at Brackenfell, are calling for bail to be denied when the accused is back in court next month. The officer made a brief appearance in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court yesterday after the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) arrested him on January 14 when he returned to the Western Cape. He was set to make his first court appearance last Monday, however, he apparently fell sick hours before that and was hospitalised. “The case against the Brackenfell police officer who is charged with rape, has been postponed until February 2 for a bail application. The accused is remanded in custody,” said National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Western Cape spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila. It…

The flag for electoral support for the ANC is at half mast AS HE delivered his closing address at the ANC NEC lekgotla on Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa looked totally spent. With its tired promises, yesteryear vision, and plume of self-correction, the ANC appears to be finally running out of steam. Forecasts of sunnier days ahead, for both the ANC and South Africa, are a blue sky that we are unlikely to see in the near future, if ever. Rather, increasingly it looks as if we are heading into the eye of a storm; a storm that no rainbow, no matter how exquisite, will be able to soothe. Simply put, the outlook is bleak. During his address, Ramaphosa spoke of how unemployment is at its highest levels yet. The president…

Mutinous soldiers detained the president of Burkina Faso after gunfire erupted at military bases across the West African nation in an apparent coup d’etat, making him the third head of state overthrown in this region in the past eight months, say an Western official and army officer in the country. Authorities initially denied that President Roch Marc Kaboré was taken into military custody, asserting that the situation was calm even as soldiers battled for control of several barracks. Then the mutineers reached the presidential palace late on Sunday, Reuters reported, and Kaboré was physically removed from office less than 24 hours after the uprising began, said the Western official. A Burkinabe counterterrorism officer also confirmed Kaboré’s detention yesterday, saying the president “is in good hands”. The officer, speaking on the…

London: The British newspaper The Guardian yesterday said that it had been given permission to challenge a decision banning the media from a court case about Prince Philip’s will. A High Court judge in September 2021 ruled the will should remain sealed for 90 years, to protect the privacy of his widow, Queen Elizabeth II, and other royals. The hearing was held in private and media organisations were not allowed to attend. The Guardian said a Court of Appeal judge had allowed it to take legal action against the attorney- general, who is the government’s chief law officer, and the Queen’s private lawyers. Judge Eleanor King said there was “a real prospect” the newspaper would succeed in arguing the original judge had “erred in law” by preventing the media from…

MEXICO CITY: A journalist was killed in Tijuana on Sunday, the second media worker murdered in less than a week in the Mexican city on the US border. Lourdes Maldonado Lopez was “attacked with a firearm while she was in a vehicle”, said the Baja California state prosecutor’s office. A few days ago, Maldonado won a labour lawsuit against a television company owned by a former governor of Baja California. Mexico is one of the world’s deadliest countries for reporters. On Monday, photojournalist Margarito Martinez, 49, was found dead in Tijuana. The journalist, who specialised in news related to the police, had a gunshot wound to the head.…

LONDON: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered an investigation into claims made by Conservative lawmaker Nusrat Ghani that she was sacked as a junior minister in 2020 over concerns that she is a Muslim, a Downing Street spokesperson announced yesterday. “The Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Office to conduct an inquiry into the allegations made by Nusrat Ghani MP,” the spokesperson said in a brief statement to reporters. In an interview published by the Sunday Times, Ghani said that following her dismissal as a junior transport minister in February 2020, she was told by a Conservative law- maker that her Muslim faith made colleagues “uncomfortable”.…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za Quinton de Kock was widely regarded as the best wicket-keeper batsman of his generation across all formats. The only problem with that statement is the fact that De Kock no longer plays Test cricket after his sensational retirement last month. It was a decision that sent shock waves through South African cricket due to De Kock’s relatively young age of just 29 and the fact that he had led the Test side earlier in the year. However, now that everyone has recovered from the initial surprise, Proteas coach Mark Boucher believes it may indeed be a blessing in disguise after De Kock returned to the white-ball team in storming fashion with a Player of the Series performance that drove South Africa to a 3-0 clean sweep over…

Wynona Louw wynona.louw@inl.co.za Stormers assistant coach Norman Laker says they have “good plans in place” for their next United Rugby Championship fixture against the Sharks. At the weekend, the Stormers fought back well to bag a 30-26 victory over the Bulls at Loftus. What should have made the result even sweeter for the Capetonians was the mid-week Currie Cup thrashing the Bulls – playing their United Rugby Championship team loaded with Springboks and experience – handed a very green Western Province side. It was a more level playing field at the weekend, however, and while the Bulls did well to come back and even go ahead at one stage, the Stormers scored a stunner of a try late in the match to claim victory. Speaking during a media briefing, Laker…